What To Do With Old Textbooks

and old computer books.

You know how colleges change textbooks almost every year. Personally, I think in most cases it is a scam to make more money. Meanwhile, students and ex-students are stuck with books they can't sell back because they are outdated. Used bookstores don't want them, again, they aren't current.

So, I graduated college some years ago and have all these old textbooks that I am tired of having clutter up my house. I also have some old computer books, and you know those are practically outdated by the time they hit the store shelves. I hate to just throw them away, it seems so wasteful. So what to do?

I have already asked my library, they don't want them either.

Ideas?

:shrug:

check out some of the Martha Stewart arts-n-crafts suggestions... Maybe spray paint the covers and make several into bookends? Glue pages together, hollow out insides and make them into boxes?

I still can't figure out what to do with the big papercover computer books...fire starters, extra fuel f/BBQ?

house with.

See the movie "The Day After Tomorrow," where they burn books in the New York Public Library to keep warm.

They'll light up the sky at the next book burning.

there is nothing more useless than an old textbook i'm afraid

A lot of patients have nothing to read while they're waiting to go home and even a textbook kind of helps if you're bored.

:7

As an artist I find interesting images, colors, etc. that I want to keep track of, but after a while, little scraps of this and that floating around get.....tiresome. So I tear out every other page (to keep the book from getting too bulky) and glue the images, etc. to the intact pages.

This could work to keep track of literally anything from recipes to phone numbers.

Other projects...ummm...decoupage, papier mache, mailing random pages to random people in the phone book, making a form and using the books as filler in a small concrete wall, insulation, fire (as mentioned), Bandsaw them into interesting shapes (like christmas trees which you then open out and fan to a 3-D shapes), recycle (the hard covers can go into the cardboard)....there may be more, but the meter has run out....

I have 4 copies of the same physics book. (different years)

What, they have to put out a new one everytime one of the universal constants change?


Oh, wait...

Actually, one was mine from when I first started college, one was my husbands, and another was mine from my second round at college. The only reason I bought the second copy for myself is that the questions were different in the two editions, so in order for me to do the homework, I'd have to get ahold of a copy of the recent book. Sheer laziness, in other words.

The fourth copy came from a friend of ours who noticed our collection and realized that he too had a copy of the same book.

It was The Fundamental of Physics, by Halliday, Resnick and Walker.

Hmmm... I don't have the current edition. Perhaps I should run out and grab one?

i've got one or two of them also

before it becomes impossible to find. You need the whole set!

I seem to recall someone telling me that it isn't good to burn them because of the chemicals they release -- not dangerous to you, so much as not good for the environment. I could certainly be wrong about this, though.

You might check with your local recycling center about recycling, if they pulp and reuse -- or use the pages to make your own homemade paper, if you're crafty -- or ask the local school art departments if they'd like to use the pages for projects -- or build a bookcase with the hardbacks for the books you do want to keep.

Introductory Chemistry Volume 8? Was there some tidbit of the fundamental nature of reality that wasn't included in Volume 7?

I'm a used and rare book dealer. I end up with literally hundreds of boxes of useless old books in my garage. Once I learned the best way to handle them they make good fuel for my airtight wood stove. At the moment I have about 3 cords of useless books in my garage; enough to last the rest of the winter. One problem with textbooks is the clay coat paper which leaves a heavy sheet ash that you have to stir regularly to keep the fire going. Wartime editions from the early 1940's are best because they are a lightweight acidic newsprint that burns evenly.

If I were a high school teacher, and had a promising student, it would be nice to be able to give that student a college physics book at the end of the year. If not, it's always good to have the extra reference in the classroom.

They buy anything.

the have a bin for books. Most of them are are old texts and encyclopedias. People check them out. I've no idea what the recycle center does with them...never asked. But see if your recycle center wants them.

cut up books, tear pages out or otherwise destroy them. Books that may be worthless to you often have real value to others, as books.

I'm in the book business. I know of a lady who makes purses out of old books because she thinks the covers are cute. I've seen several examples of her work which happened to be rare books. Just because a textbook is old doesn't mean it isn't still being used. One of my clients uses a 30 year old Russian textbook, and every year it gets more difficult to acquire usable copies.

I know this is sort of a rant, but the best thing to do is donate them to Goodwill. Some people make a living scouting books from second hand stores, you'll be keeping them in business. If you have to do something crafty, make a stack of them and use it as an end table.

Looks like I'm screwed, they want textbooks 20 YO or newer...Mine are 30. I think I will make paper from them or use as door stops.